Moroccan Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2022): (March 2022)
Animal Production and Health

Comparative study of milk production and milk composition of Sicilo-Sarde ewes in the region of Mateur and Béja (Tunisia)

PDF (French (Canada)) XML (French (Canada))
  • O. ZOUAGHI,
  • Moncef HAMMAMI,
  • A. JOUNAIDI,
  • M. AMRAOUI,
  • H. ROUISSI
O. ZOUAGHI École Supérieure des Sciences et Techniques de la Santé de Tunis, Université de Tunis
Moncef HAMMAMI École Supérieure d'Agriculture de Mateur, Tunisie
A. JOUNAIDI Bureau de Contrôle des Unités de Production Agricole, Tunisie
M. AMRAOUI École Supérieure d'Agriculture de Mateur, Tunisie
H. ROUISSI École Supérieure d'Agriculture de Mateur, Tunisie

Published 2022-03-16

Copyright Notice

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare reproductive performance, milk production levels and physico-chemical composition of Sicilo-Sarde ewes raised in Northern Tunisia (Béja and Mateur). The study involved 928 ewes belonging to two farms in the organized sector (a Cooperative Unit of Agricultural Production (UCPA) located in Béja and a flock of the National Office Land in Ghazala -Mateur). Reproduction performance in Béja was high (Fertility: 96% Prolificacy: 138 and numerical productivity: 117.0) its values are much higher than those recorded in Mateur (Fertility: 81.4, Prolificacy: 109.5 and numerical productivity: 82.1). Total milk production in Béja is 124 litres per dairy ewe compared to 30.3 litres/ewe in Mateur with an average daily production of 0.63 litres compared to 0.19 litres. The results obtained showed that the pH, density and freezing point of ewes' milk at Béja and Mateur were comparable. No effect on the physical parameters of the milk of the Sicilo-Sarde ewes. On the other hand, milk fat content was higher for Béja ewes (8.18 % vs 6.69%) Protein contents were comparable for both ewe groups (6.12 % in Béja and 6.13 in Mateur). The low results of the zootechnical parameters are the consequence of failures detected in the conduct of sheep breeding in Mateur. As for milk performance, it seems that the weaning mode and the start date of milking are at the origin of the differences in the performance achieved.

 Keywords: Dairy sheep, Sicilo-sarde, Tunisia, Weaning, Chemical composition, Zootechnical parameters

PDF (French (Canada)) XML (French (Canada))

References